Let The Pieces Fall
by Anonymous989
Summary: The death of his parents left fourteen year old Eli LaMontagne devastated. The death of one of her best friends left Emily Prentiss in bits. The death of one of Aaron Hotchner's family members almost ruined him. Read as Hotch and Prentiss try and pick up the pieces with help from the rest of their family.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own CM. **

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Eli groaned as he regained consciousness. There was a horn blowing somewhere close but he wasn't sure how close it was. "Fuck," he muttered as he raised a hand to his thumping head. Opening his eyes, Eli couldn't help but let out a shout of shock at what he saw. The car that he was in was currently hugging a tree. His parents were knocked out in the front seats. Ruby red blood was staining his mother's hair and his father's head was resting on the horn. A cry from beside him alerted Eli to the fact that his two-month old baby sister was awake. The smell of smoke alerted him to the fact that there wasn't a lot of time to get everybody out of the car safely.

Ignoring the pain that shot up his arm Eli reached forward and grabbed the seat-belt cutter – which had been put into the car for this very reason – and ripped his belt off. He turned around and gave a good swing to break the boot window so they could escape. After throwing out the baby's diaper bag and the First Aid kit that was in the boot he managed to navigate his way out of the wreck of the car. The first thing Eli did after catching his breath was make his way around to the door to try and get his still wailing sister out of the car. He wasn't able to pull the door open and hesitant though he was he used the belt cutter to smash the window open as there was no way Eli would have been able to get the baby out through the boot. It was harder to get the car seat untangled from the seat belt than it had been to escape from the boot but once it was Eli was able to lift the car seat out through the window.

Looking around he spotted a sheltered spot roughly ten metres from the car wreck. Eli limped over to the trees and placed the car seat gently on the ground facing away from the car. There was no need for the baby to see what was going on. He rushed back to the car and pulled his unconscious three-year old brother out of the wreck after breaking his window as well and cutting the car seat out of the belt. After leaving the boy under the trees with his sister, the First Aid kit and the diaper bag, Eli raced back to the car as fast as his injured leg would carry him. Now that his siblings were as safe as he could make them he had to get one of his parents phones and call for help because there was no way that Eli could get the two of them out of the car on his own.

He rummaged through his father's shirt pocket in the hopes of finding his phone but it wasn't there. "Damn," he swore. "Dad! Dad! Come on Dad! You have to wake up!" Eli heard no response. The same happened when he tried to rouse his mother. The only positive thing was that he found her phone. Quickly, he opened it and went to contacts. His head felt a bit fuzzy at the moment but one thing stood clear in his mind; if they wanted to get out of here, wherever here was, then there was only one person to call: Penelope Garcia.

She answered on the first ring. "Office of Unfettered Omniscience. Penelope Garcia is in. Speak, oh fortunate one." Ignoring her usual witty banter, Eli had to shout into the phone so he could be heard over both the horn that was still going off and the baby who was still wailing.

"Garcia? It's Eli. Eli LaMontagne." He tried slapping his mother's face gently to try and wake her. "We've been in an accident, Mom and Dad are trapped in the car unconscious but I got the kids out. I need you to send help!" Eli almost dropped the phone when he heard his mother groan – it seemed like she was coming 'round.

"An accident?" Eli could practically hear Garcia's heart jump from her chest to her throat but he didn't care as his mother's eyes began to flutter. "Okay, sweetheart, I'm tracking your location and sending help right now. The team will be there as soon as they can. Are both JJ and Will unconscious? What about the kids? I think I hear crying?"

"Erm…" Eli ran his hand through his hair, his adrenalin was running out. "Danielle's crying and I think I hear Henry as well but I'm not sure. Dad's not waking up but Mom seems to be. How long will it be until help gets here?" The smoke was beginning to get thicker and Eli knew that if help didn't arrive soon – no! He _would not_ think like that. Help was going to arrive in a minute and his parents would be rescued in no time at all.

"The team have just left – you're about twenty minutes away from us sweetheart but we both know that they'll be there in ten and the EMT's are about two minutes away. Just hold on Eli, everything's going to be fine."

"Eli…" JJ's voice was breathy, barely there but Eli heard her. She lifted her hand off her lap and Eli grabbed a hold of it.

"I'm here, Mom." He said, the tears were beginning to escape. "I'm right here. The kids are fine, they're out of the car and Dad is going to be fine too."

"Eli, listen…" Garcia had gone quiet on the other end of the phone. Somewhere in the back of Eli's mind he wondered if she'd patched the conversation through to the rest of the team. "Your father and I… we love you…"

"No, Mom, cut it out!" Eli interrupted her. There was no way that he was going to listen to this. Not when there was no need for it.

"No, Eli," JJ countered. Her voice was getting a little bit stronger and her blue eyes focused a little better. "You're going to listen to me and you're going to listen well." Eli could only nod in acceptance. "Your dad and I both love the three of you." She coughed, the thick smoke obstructing her airways just like it was doing to Eli's. "We need you to take care of your brother and sister for us. I know… I know that this isn't something that you want to hear but I have to say it Eli. You are one of the best things in my life. I am so proud of you. Your dad is too. We didn't tell you that enough. Don't let Henry and Danielle forget us. Promise me. Promise me that you'll tell them how proud we were of the three of you and how much we loved you all."

Eli choked back the sob that so desperately wanted to escape. "You can tell them that yourself, Mom, when they're older."

"No, Eli." JJ had tears streaming down her face to match her sons. "I need you to promise me. Please, son."

Eli tightened his grip on his mother's hand. "Only if you promise to fight like hell so you can tell them that yourself." Eli was openly sobbing by now, the phone forgotten in one hand, his mother's hand weakening in his other.

"It's a deal then." JJ gasped. "Go take care of the kids." Her eyes began to drift shut again. "I love you, Eli." JJ's hand slipped from her sons and Eli heard the thud that it made against her leg even above the still blaring horn and his crying brother and sister.

"Mom!" Eli cried. He reached out and shook her but all that happened was that her head fell down and rested on her chest.

"Eli! Eli!" A glance down at the phone that was still in his hand reminded him that he was still connected to Garcia and probably the rest of the team.

"What?" He snapped through his tears. "I have to wake Mom up again."

"Eli, do what your mother said and go and make sure that your brother and sister are okay." Garcia's tears could be heard over the phone.

"In a minute – "

"No, Eli," Garcia interrupted him. "Now! You've just promised your mother that you would take care of your brother and sister while she fought to be well. You have to keep up your side of the bargain while she keeps up hers."

It was with broken steps that Eli made his way over to his siblings. No sooner had he lifted Danielle out of her car seat, so he could shake the glass out of it and make sure that there was no glass left on her, did he look up and see the car that housed his parents blow up in a big ball of fire. Suddenly Danielle was taken from his arms and strong arms wrapped around his body, preventing him from rushing to the car as he wanted to do.

Eli became aware of a heart wrenching scream permeating the air but it took him a moment to realise that it was him who was making the animatistic sound. He didn't remember much after that. He remembered bits and pieces – it was like his brain had fragmented into a billion little pieces. He remembered the team arriving a short while after the EMTs did. He remembered holding Henry in the ambulance because Henry didn't want to be with anybody but him. He remembered promising Henry that he wouldn't leave him alone. He remembered Henry being wheeled down to the OR so he could be knocked out while his broken leg was set. He remembered being told that his brother and sister would be fine. He remembered the way his father had been slumped over the driving wheel in the car and he remembered the face of his mother as she told him that she loved him for the last time.

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**This is going to be a Hotch/Emily story but that will probably be secondary to the main plot. I'll try to update soon. I appreciate reviews and any ideas readers may have which will help make this a better story.**

**Anon**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. This story was inspired by All This Time written by hotchityhotchhotch. **

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"We just have to x-ray your shoulder and your ankle and then you can go back to your sister." Eli glared at the intern, for it obviously was an intern. Senior doctors only appeared when there was something serious that actually interested their inflated ego filled brains. Eli considered actually creating one of those 'serious situations' by killing or at least injuring the stupid intern standing in front of him.

"Fine," he bit out. "Just hurry up." He limped off the bed, shrugging of the helpful intern as he did so and staggered into the waiting wheelchair. He knew he was being rude but right now he couldn't care any less. He was as apathetic as the walls were white. It wasn't as if either of his parents were around to reprimand him now was it? And that was the thing that was bothering him the most right now: the fact that they weren't there anymore. It wasn't fair! It just wasn't fair.

Eli held back a hiss as the intern jerked the chair to a stop. Life wasn't fair; he'd learned that a long time ago. This wasn't a new revelation to him. That was the part that angered him the most. This had already happened to him! Why did it have to happen again? Was there some deity that was pissed at him because he didn't believe in them?

Well fuck them! Fuck them all to hell and back! The only people that mattered now were Henry and Danielle and there was no way that Eli would break the promise that he had made to his mother. He Elliot LaMontagne would take care of his brother and sister.

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By the time Eli had had his x-rays taken, Henry had been brought back from the operating room. Eli found him sleeping, surrounded by the remaining members of the BAU team. The annoying intern that had taken Eli for his scans pushed the chair up beside the bed after Reid thoughtfully moved his chair out of the way. Eli nodded his head in thanks and leaned forward to brush a long blonde lock of hair out of Henry's face.

A loud wail broke the silence. Eli jumped at the sudden noise. Ignoring Morgan's 'easy there, kid' he watched in silence as Garcia tried unsuccessfully to calm the baby down. It was so strange to think that the tiny, wailing baby wrapped up in a pink blanket, cradled in Penelope Garcia's arms like she was the most precious thing in the world had survived that horrific car crash that had stolen the lives of two strong people who went out and fought monsters each and every day of their lives.

"Here," Eli said, letting Henry's hand go and turning his chair slightly so he was facing more towards Garcia. "Let me take her." He didn't doubt the fact that Danielle was crying was because she had woken up in a strangers arms.

"No, no, sweetheart." Garcia replied, bouncing the baby up and down gently as she tried to calm her. "You just rest there with your brother and I'll take care of your sister." After another thirty seconds when Danielle's wailing just got louder, Garcia finally gave up and walked over to hand the little baby to her big brother. Eli rested his sister's head near his chest. It was something that he remembered his father showing him when Henry was a baby. The effect was almost immediate. Danielle's wails soon turned to whimpers quickly as she realised who was holding her now. When she was quiet enough to hear him, Eli began to hum quietly to her. He passed no heed to the others in the room. Eventually Danielle's whimpers drifted off and she began to gurgle quietly to Eli. She grabbed at his proffered finger and promptly began to suck on it like it was a chew toy. Eli let her as it was keeping her quiet.

"Well you certainly have a way with the ladies." A glance towards the door showed that the annoying intern from earlier was back. "Your scans are all clear which means that you've most likely just strained your muscles. There's a little bruising but you should be fine in a couple of days."

"What about Henry and Danielle?" Hotch interrupted from the corner where he was sitting and able to keep an eye on everybody in the room.

"They're both fine." The intern replied. "Henry will have to return in about four weeks to have another x-ray and either have his cast removed or changed depending on the results."

"When will he wake up?" Eli asked.

"He should sleep through the night but if he wakes he'll be disoriented and he probably won't remember in the morning." Eli nodded and after checking Henry's IV the intern left. The heavy, sombre silence descended once again and blanketed the room and its occupants. A quiet clearing of the throat was heard not long later and Eli looked towards the corner where it had come from, an eyebrow raised in silent question.

"Is there anybody that should be called?" Hotch's voice was gravelly. It was a little bit strange to Eli. He didn't know the man well; he'd only met him a handful of times but during all those times Hotch's voice had remained firm and determined? Eli wasn't quite sure that there was a word to describe it but it was obvious that tonight's events had an impact on the man. In fact, looking around the room slowly, Eli saw that all of the team looked as though they had been dragged through a couple of hedges, Garcia especially.

"Can I borrow somebody's phone?" Eli looked at Garcia and proffered his arms a little. She took the hint and was quickly over to him to take the quietened baby from her brother. Danielle whimpered a little when she realised she was once again being handed off to a stranger but quickly became fascinated by Garcia's long blonde hair.

"That's okay, kid." Morgan had stood up. He stretched, stiff from sitting in a hospital issued plastic chair for the past couple of hours. "You just give me the numbers and I'll call."

"I'll take that as a no then," Eli replied, pushing himself out of his chair. His shoulder was still giving him pain but it was manageable. He was relieved that he was able to contain the groan that wanted to make itself heard when he stepped on his ankle. "I'll just go and ask one of the nurses."

"Look, kid – "

"One," Eli interrupted firmly, glaring at Morgan. "_Don't _call me kid. My name is Elliot. Use it. Two, don't treat me like I'm made of brittle glass about to break if it comes in contact with a small gust of wind because I'm not. And three, if I say that I'm able to make a call, then I'm able to make a call. Some people should be told bad news by somebody they know, not some stranger and all of you here are strangers to the people who I'm about to call." Morgan looked a little bit shocked by Eli's short rant. Guess he didn't profile a volatile temper, Eli thought vindictively.

Finally, after a tense minute where neither person looked away from each other, Morgan conceded and handed Eli his phone. Eli nodded in thanks and then began to make his way out of the room. "I'll walk with you." He was grateful that it was Rossi that decided that he'd be the one to make sure that if Eli broke down then at least somebody would be with him. Eli liked Rossi the best. He was quiet, always observing but he didn't interfere unless it was absolutely necessary and he seemed to always offer his silent support and a shoulder to offload on. Out of all the people still left in the room Eli had just left, Rossi was the one person he was the most comfortable with.

They walked – or rather, Rossi walked while Eli limped slowly – over towards the chairs that lined the walls. Eli sank into the hard plastic gratefully and then braced himself before dialling the number and pressing the call button. This was undoubtedly the hardest day of his life and it was only about four o'clock in the afternoon. There was still the night to get through yet.

"Hello?"

"Grams?" Eli nearly broke on that word alone.

"Elliot?" She had always refused to call him Eli. "Is everything okay, dear?"

"No," Eli choked out. "It's not." He had to take a breath to steal himself for what he was about to say. "Grams, there was… there was an accident today. Henry, Danielle and I are fine, but Mom and Dad… I couldn't… she made me promise to take care of the kids… she wouldn't l-l-let me help. I'm sorry, Grams, I tried to get her out. Dad was unconscious but Mom made me take care of the kids. I could… couldn't…" Eli finally broke. Tears cascaded down his face and sobs tore themselves from his throat. He was dimly aware of Rossi taking the phone off him and wrapping an arm around him but it didn't make any difference. They were gone and there was nothing that he could do about it.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, Eli managed to pull himself together. He was surprised to find that his head was buried in Rossi's shoulder and Rossi was hugging him close with one arm. "Thanks," he mumbled, pulling away.

"No problem."

It was obvious that they interrupted a conversation when they stepped back into the room. For profilers as good as they were supposed to be, they were shite at feigning nonchalance. In fact it was only Hotch that was able to pull it off properly. Garcia and Prentiss were looking at him with pity. Eli wanted to scream at them. Reid had tears in his eyes that he hurriedly brushed away when he saw Eli looking at him and Morgan was just silently contemplating Eli. There was a reason Eli liked Rossi the best. "Don't let me interrupt your conversation." He drawled in his southern accent. "I'll just take a seat here and you can all carry on talking about us as if I ain't here."

"We were just wondering whether your parents had a will?" Once again it was Hotch who broke the silence.

"Course they did," Eli replied. "What with the jobs they had? They'd have been mad not to have had one done. I don't know the name of their solicitor but it'd be on Mom's record at the F.B.I. they both had the same one." Quickly handing the baby off to Prentiss, Garcia whipped out her ever present laptop to begin her search of the lawyer. "Why do you want to know?"

"We're hoping that they'll have outlined their custody plans for the three of you." Reid answered this time. "And what they'd like for their funerals." Eli nodded silently, he should have thought of that. The intern had said that Henry and Danielle would be discharged in the morning as they were only being kept for observation and he himself had already been discharged.

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By the time the lawyer arrived with his fancy name that Eli couldn't be bothered to listen to and his briefcase Danielle had fallen asleep in Prentiss' arms and the clock had struck half-five. Eli was exhausted and he envied Henry's ability to sleep the day away. The fact that it was drug induced didn't factor into that conclusion at all.

Relief flooded Eli when he realised that the lawyer wasn't going to be reading the wills from start to finish. After naming Prentiss executor to both wills, which everybody looked surprised at except for Eli, the lawyer announced what everybody was waiting to hear: the custody arrangements. Eli was very surprised and a little bit angry when he heard what his parents had in mind. Apparently they wanted the three of them to stay together. That was a given in everybody's mind though. It was when they outlined _who_ they would like to take care of the three of them that things got complicated. There were four candidates; Reid and Garcia because they were Henry's godparents and then Hotch and Prentiss because they were Danielle's godparents. It was the stipulation in the wills that made Eli want to lash out at somebody or something.

"So you're saying," Prentiss began haltingly. "That the four of us decide between us who – if any – of us takes the kids. The three of them have to remain under the one roof and it would be preferable if there were two guardians, but if they have jobs that take them away from home for extended periods of time then they should be excluded?" The lawyer nodded in confirmation.

"That means that the only real candidates are Hotch and Prentiss because they're the only ones who work nine-to-five jobs." Eli interjected. Once again, the lawyer nodded in confirmation.

"That's a lot to consider," Hotch said. He glanced at his watch, it was nearing six. He had to be going if he was going to collect Jack on time from day-care.

"It is," the lawyer agreed. "Why don't you and the other godparents all take some time to talk about what you think will be best. Then hopefully you will have come to a decision and we can pick up from there."

"That sounds good," Reid answered. "Why don't we go now and get this sorted as soon as possible."

"I have to go and collect Jack." Hotch said. "You could all come along for the ride. We could talk on the way." They all agreed and soon the baby was put into the cot beside the wall and Henry and Eli were left with Rossi and Morgan as Hotch, Prentiss, Garcia, Reid and the lawyer that Eli still didn't have a name for departed.

"Don't worry, Elliot." Rossi's arm landed gently on his good shoulder. "Everything will work out for the best. Your parents will have seen to that."

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**Thanks for taking the time to read. I appreciate reviews and any ideas readers may have which will help make this a better story.**

**Anon**


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